Articles about USB

Installing Windows normally requires a setup disc, which is just fine, unless your optical drive isn’t working. Or your system doesn’t have one at all. Or the disc is scratched and unreadable. Or you really don’t have the patience for those painfully slow data transfer rates.

One effective solution is to transfer your Windows setup files to a bootable USB drive. Novicorp WinToFlash has being doing just that since 2009, and despite development stalling for some time, a recent rush of major new releases means the package is finally out of beta.

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USB hubs are commonplace and, let's be honest, not especially exciting pieces of kit. Inateck’s HB4009 is a three-port USB 3.0 hub, but it also has an extra trick up its sleeve. It has a Magic Port, allowing you to link two systems together for file transfers or establish a client/host link using the USB On-The-Go (OTG) standard.

This makes it a versatile little device as you can link Windows, Mac OS and Android devices to their own kind or to each other. You can also attach another USB device like a flash drive or camera to a system, such as a tablet, that might not otherwise have a suitable port.

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Most of today's gadgets seem to use USB for charging their batteries so you inevitably end up with a whole stack of cables and the mains power adapters to go with them.

If you're looking to simplify things the Smart Charger 8000 from Swiss company ARCTIC may be the solution. It's a little box with five USB ports that allows you to charge a number of devices at the same time. It intelligently detects the devices connected to it in order to provide the best charging speed for each one.

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All sorts of reversible USB Type-C devices are beginning to arrive now, and Kingston Digital has just announced the launch of its DataTraveler microDuo 3C USB Flash drive.

This device has a dual interface that works with both standard USB Type-A (3.1, 3.0, 2.0) and USB Type-C ports and comes in three capacities -- 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.

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In a world increasingly dominated by mobile devices it's easy to forget that many people, particularly in business environments, are still using desktop PCs.

Desktops of course tend not to come with built-in Wi-Fi which means adding a PCIe card or a USB wireless adaptor. With the KT9001, what Inateck has produced is a PCIe card that's a clever mash up of wireless adaptor and three port USB 3.0 hub.

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A vulnerability that leaves millions of routers and other Internet-connected devices open to remote hacking and similar cyberattacks has been discovered.

Stefan Viehbock of SEC Consult Vulnerability Lab explained in his blog that a piece of proprietary software developed in Taiwan, called NetUSB, is the root of the security flaw.

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Cloud storage is all the rage nowadays, and for good reason -- it is convenient and oftentimes free (depending on capacity). With that said, there are still benefits to physical on-premises storage for redundancy and possible security reasons. For businesses in particular, it can be daunting to trust confidential information and trade secrets to the cloud. I rather like flash drives for operating system installs, such as Ubuntu and Windows.

Today, Toshiba announces two new models of USB flash drive; the USB 3.0 U362 and the USB 2.0 U201. Besides speed differences, the former is retractable, while the latter is very small and colorful. In other words, the company is offering consumers different options and price points.

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Removable batteries in smartphones are becoming quite the rarity. While Apple never offered such a thing on the iPhone, it was once very common on Android devices. While some smartphones running Google's mobile operating system still have this feature, it is far less prevalent (the upcoming LG G4 is a surprising exception). Unfortunately, the battery life of these devices can be very short; making it through a full work day can be challenging. Since you cannot swap the battery, what are you supposed to do?

You need a USB battery pack. These battery boosters are all the rage nowadays; Amazon and other manufacturers are littered with them. Deciding on a model can be tough, but luckily, I discovered a winner -- the IOGEAR GearPower Mobile Power Station. It has made my Nexus 6 more usable when on the go. Battery anxiety, be gone!

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USB Type-C is certainly the future, but it will take a while for consumers to fully embrace it. If you bought the new MacBook, Apple hasn't given you much choice; users will have to use adapters to use something like a traditional Type-A USB flash drive. At least Google offers standard ports in addition to Type-C on its new Chromebook Pixel.

What if you didn't need an adapter to use your flash drive on the new ports? Patriot has developed a new flash drive that solves that exact problem.

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If you want to install Windows from scratch, you have two choices -- you can install the OS from a CD/DVD or from a USB flash drive. The latter is the better option, especially as optical drives are becoming something of a rarity these days.

The process of creating a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, is quick and easy. Here’s how to do it.

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While many people focus on speed and capacity when buying storage devices, an often overlooked aspect is security. Of course, not everything necessarily needs to be encrypted and protected; while Aunt Edith's recipes and your family reunion photos are valuable to you, they aren't exactly the target of hackers or rogue government nations.

If you do need to encrypt and protect files, however, there are many options available to you. Today, Buffalo announces a unique drive, which offers NFC to securely access the hardware-encrypted drive. Rather than using biometrics or a password, an NFC smart card is all you need to unlock the rugged, water and dust resistant, military-grade MiniStation Extreme NFC USB 3.0 hard drive.

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Nowadays, it is very common to have an SD card reader on a laptop. Well, maybe not Apple's new MacBook, but I digress. Some desktop computers have integrated card readers, but not all do. The problem is there is more than one type of memory card, and many integrated solutions are SD-only. Plus, they are often USB 2.0, making them slow.

Luckily, if you have a USB 3.0 port, you can add a reader or upgrade to a faster option, with more card options too. Today, Kingston announces such a device; the FCR-HS4 All-In-One Media Reader. Not only is it fast and versatile, but attractive too.

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It's easy to get excited about the new USB Type-C connector. It's small, making even slimmer designs possible, it can be used to charge power-hungry devices, removing the need for dedicated charging ports, and, best of all, it can be plugged in both ways, making it easier to charge mobile devices at night. The last feature is certainly the highlight for most of us.

It all sounds great until we think about backwards compatibility. USB-C, as it's also known, is not compatible with older connectors, used on most PCs, laptops and consumer electronics, which severely diminishes its appeal. However, storage company Emtec has come up with an interesting workaround, announcing a USB-C flash drive which also features a full-size USB connector.

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Two computers of note have been announced or released in recent days -- the 2015 version of the Chromebook Pixel and the redesigned MacBook -- that feature an all-singing, all-dancing USB-C port. It transfers data, it powers, it makes coffee, it doesn't matter which way round you insert it, and it practically guarantees an orgasm (OK... maybe we got a little carried away).

It’s a progression of USB technology, and one that has been well-received, at least in principle. Who could be responsible for this marvellous technology feat of design? Blogger, Markdown inventor, and owner of Daring Fireball, John Gruber seems to be under the impression that it's an Apple invention. But he's wrong.

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Apple seems to be getting a lot of credit for the USB Type-C frenzy, but this is very misplaced. You see, the Chromebook Pixel -- with two of the ports -- was in the hands of reviewers weeks before the new MacBook (with its one measly port) was announced. Before the Pixel, however, Type-C was already long in development. Hell, BetaNews covered an MSI motherboard with the connector in January; months before Apple announced its $1,300 OS X netbook laptop. No individual company -- not Google, Apple nor MSI -- should get sole credit. The USB consortium got it standardized and ultimately approved in August of 2014.

Expect to see a lot of USB Type-C products in 2015 as there is a scramble to capitalize on early-adopters. LaCie is one of the first companies to have an honest to goodness product  with the connector. Besides having the new connector, it is sexy and well-designed (as are all products in the Porsche Design line). However, is it necessary?

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